]]>http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/american-graduate-champions-david-powless/feed/07 Simple Steps to become an American Graduate Championhttp://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/7-simple-steps-to-become-an-american-graduate-champion/
http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/7-simple-steps-to-become-an-american-graduate-champion/#respondMon, 04 Apr 2016 20:52:22 +0000http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/?p=594Make a difference in the life of a student with these 7 Simple Steps to become an American Graduate Champion #AmGrad #AmGradAL

]]>http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/7-simple-steps-to-become-an-american-graduate-champion/feed/0PUBLIC SQUARE: Ladders Out Of Povertyhttp://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/public-square-ladders-out-of-poverty/
http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/public-square-ladders-out-of-poverty/#respondMon, 04 Apr 2016 20:27:31 +0000http://www.newmexicopbs.org/educate/americangraduate/?p=592Continue reading PUBLIC SQUARE: Ladders Out Of Poverty→]]>Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. on Ch. 5.1
Interact with @nmpbs on Twitter

New Mexico continues to have one of the worst poverty rates in the nation. It also leads the country in the percentage of children living in poverty. Those numbers have grown in the last few years, according to Census data. The impacts of this reality show up in numerous ways in New Mexico’s poor education outcomes, high rates of child abuse and domestic violence, and the outmigration of our educated young people.

PUBLIC SQUARE brings together a diverse group of people working on a variety of solutions to this endemic problem. They’re helping people build assets through buying homes, getting educations and starting businesses. Leadership includes: Sovereign Hager with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, and State Representatives Conrad James and Christine Trujillo.

Funding for PUBLIC SQUARE is provided in part by grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and American Graduate.

Quotes From PUBLIC SQUARE Participants:

“We have a high rate of people in deep poverty – that’s living at 50% below the federal poverty rate, or less than $10,000 a year, for a family of three.”— Sovereign Hager, New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty

“There are lots of things that can remove barriers and create pathways, that don’t cost anything.”— Ona Porter, Prosperity Works

“When we have programs and individuals like ourselves who believe in people and who make these opportunities available, that’s when change happens.”— Francesca Duran-Lopez, PB&J Family Services

“Poverty does not mean you can’t do well in school. It does not mean you have a path that is always destitute, and that you cannot achieve.”— Conrad James, State Representative

“It’s not enough. The kids who need help the most aren’t getting it.”— Christine Trujillo, State Representative

From age 0 to 3 children’s brains are forming at an astonishing rate, creating 700 neural connections per second. But when they’re confronted with serious traumatic stress, those processes are disrupted.

Childhood traumatic stress is triggered by things like neglect and psychological, physical or sexual abuse. It can also happen as a result of homelessness, community and school violence, and witnessing or experiencing domestic violence – things that are all too common in New Mexico.

These adverse childhood experiences often lead to serious health issues later in life. They can also result in more incarceration, depression and substance abuse. But those changes don’t have to be permanent. Humans are resilient and given the right supports they can often overcome the effects of trauma.

So what are adverse childhood experiences or A.C.E.s? And, how are we as a community coming to better understand the impact of childhood trauma and providing resources to cope with the problem?

Funding for PUBLIC SQUARE is provided in part by grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and American Graduate.

Quotes From PUBLIC SQUARE Participants:

“It’s really important that we start to identify what happened to people, as opposed to what’s wrong with them.”
— Megan Délano, Las Cumbres Community Services

“The kids involved in our juvenile justice system in New Mexico have very serious adverse childhood experiences of trauma in their early childhood”
— Yael Cannon, University of New Mexico School of Law

“I think it’s an emerging consensus we have that trauma is driving most of our social deficits, but translating that into policies, and making it into treatment modalities, is a difficult task.”
— Dr. George Davis, Children Youth and Families Department

Ronalda Warito-Tome
Training Specialist & Advocate, EPICS (Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs)

Leadership Panel:

George Davis, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Director of Psychiatry for the New Mexico Department of Children, Youth and Families Services Juvenile Justice Service
Worked previously at the Indian Health Service, providing care for several of the pueblos and tribal hospitals and clinics in New Mexico. His primary areas of interest and expertise are delinquency as an outcome of early neglect and abuse, extreme behavioral disorders in young children, psychopharmacology, and systems of care for the severely disabled and underserved.

Andrew Hsi, MD
Director, Institute for Resilience, Health, and Justice
Medical director of the UNM FOCUS FIT early intervention program

Award winning pediatrician, focus has included children and families affected by prenatal alcohol and drug exposure, family violence, parental mental illness, and unsupported teen parenting. Dr. Hsi was awarded the first national “Humanism in Medicine Award” from the American Association of Medical Colleges, “Children’s Champion Award” from All Faith’s Receiving Home and the “Voice for Children Award” from New Mexico Voices for Children.

Yael Cannon
Professor, University of New Mexico School of Law
Co-chair of J. Paul Taylor Legislative Taskforce
Also taught Juvenile Law: Children’s Legal Rights, co-chaired the District of Columbia Special Education Advocates Roundtable, worked as a senior attorney with the Health Access Project at The Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. Cannon’s research interests focus on children’s law, and in particular the educational and health needs of children living in poverty.

In New Mexico, 16% of adults are illiterate and another 46% read at a fifth grade level or below. Those stats have serious impacts on New Mexico’s economy and families around the state. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the most significant predictor of a child’s literacy is a mother’s literacy.

Children thrive when parents thrive. Also, when parents become more literate or pursue more education, they become role models. But there’s shame and stigma surrounding illiteracy. Also, adults seeking more education often have fears about entering institutions where they feel they don’t belong.

How do we ensure more adults, and their children, reach their potential?

In this episode, PUBLIC SQUARE talks with adult learners, community groups and literacy experts.

Funding for PUBLIC SQUARE is provided in part by grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and American Graduate.

Quotes From PUBLIC SQUARE Participants:

“Education is a family issue, and a mother’s education is the best indicator of whether a child is going to be successful or not.”
– Katharine Winograd, Central New Mexico Community College

“It takes incredible skill to get through our daily life without being able to read and write.”
– Margaret Barker, Reading Works Inc.

“It’s not that people don’t want to learn to read or go back to school. They do. How do we support that?”
– Enrique Cardiel, Bernalillo County CINCH Program

“It’s a skill, and for whatever reason, these adults don’t have that skill, or they could improve on it.”
– Heather Heunermund, New Mexico Coalition for Literacy

“It’s the best feeling in the world, to actually sit down and look at a piece of paper and actually be able to read what it says.”
– Daniel Schnieders, Student at ReadWest

Did you know that 46% of New Mexico’s population is functionally illiterate? About 900,000 adults are in need of literacy services, according to the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy. Searching “literacy” in SHARE’s Resource Directory returns a list of more than 100 organizations that support literacy efforts for adults and children. One of these is the Imagination Library of Grant County.

Young people in New Mexico face many challenges. But that’s particularly true for young men of color.

Across the country there has been an increased focus on these young people because they’re more likely to grow up in poverty, live in unsafe neighborhoods, and attend schools that lack resources. They’re also more likely to be punished in school, drop out and get caught up in the justice system. This can impact them – and our communities – for the rest of their lives.

Many young men lack positive male role models, especially if fathers are absent or not engaged. But these mentors can help them learn how to be good men and to be involved in their communities.

So how do we help these young men find these role models and become the next generation of leaders?

In this episode we feature a group of young men of color who normally don’t have prime time television exposure. It’s a very personal and candid conversation with young men striving to overcome the obstacles they face. Joining them are the organizations dedicated to helping, as well as men who are in the process of becoming role models.

Funding for the production of this Public Square program is provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation working to improve the lives of vulnerable children. This program is the result of a partnership with Mission: Graduate and funded locally by the United Way of Central New Mexico. And, this program is part of American Graduate, let’s make it happen, a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Quotes From PUBLIC SQUARE Participants:

“I think there needs to be a dramatic change and a re-think, a paradigm shift, in how we think of our men of color.”
– Rodney Bowe, Men of Color Initiative, University of New Mexico

“It doesn’t matter what your challenges are. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what obstacles life puts in front of you. If you want something you have to get it, you have to work, more than anybody expects you to work.”
– Josė M. Castro Lopez, Barrio Youth Corps at La Plazita Institute

“What everyone shared here is what men really need – a space for them to tell their story, to validate their experiences.”
– Baonam Giang, New Mexico Asian Family Center

“I just wanted to make my next 30 years count. When I was incarcerated I was 30 years old.”
– Joseph Shaw, Fathers Building Futures

“Everybody in this circle has value, has knowledge, has skills, has passion, has the ability to create change.”
– Christopher Ramirez, Together For Brothers

Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. on Ch. 5.1
Interact with @nmpbs on Twitter

Around the country and in New Mexico there is a growing trend of grandparents becoming primary caregivers for their grandchildren. This happens when a parent becomes ill or dies. Sometimes parents are incarcerated. And it often happens when parents fall into addiction or struggle with mental health issues.

Grandparents can provide a stable home for children coming from these chaotic situations. But many are over the age of 60 and they’re often unprepared for the challenges of being parents again, especially when their grandchildren may be dealing with trauma. They face financial burdens and legal difficulties. And they often neglect their own health needs to focus on their grandchildren.

What can New Mexico do to support these grandparents and ensure these children thrive?

In this episode, hear from grandparents, a young women who was raised by her grandparents, and advocates who support these families. PUBLIC SQUARE also talks with Elizabeth McGrath of Pegasus Legal Services For Children, State Sen. Michael Padilla and Former State Sen. Mark Boitano.

Funding for the production of this Public Square program is provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation working to improve the lives of vulnerable children. This program is the result of a partnership with Mission: Graduate and funded locally by the United Way of Central New Mexico. And, this program is part of American Graduate, let’s make it happen, a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Quotes From PUBLIC SQUARE Participants:

“When you become a grandparent raising a grandchild, you feel embarrassed, because you feel that you failed as a parent, because your child cannot be a parent to their child.”
– Connie Compton, Grandmother raising grandchildren

“You already raised yours and it already came out of your pocket, but it’s coming out again because you’re parenting for the second time.”
– Irene, Grandmother and widow raising grandson

“They feel isolated and they don’t have the support they need from their community”
– Alicia Carter, MCH Family Outreach

“I think it’s great for kids to be with their grandparents rather than foster care, but we need to do it in a smart way, so that the grandparents are supported, and
the children get the supports they need.”
– Elizabeth McGrath, Pegasus Legal Services for Children

Delfinia Romero has a Masters degree in Education, Youth At Risk with an emphasis in early childhood from the College of Santa Fe. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Human Development with a specialization in early childhood from Pacific Oaks in California. Delfinia is a licensed early childhood teacher through the State of New Mexico. She has worked at Las Cumbres Community Services for the past eighteen years. For the past five years Delfinia has worked as an instructor at Northern New Mexico College in the Early Childhood department. She will provide mentorship supports through the Las Cumbres Early Childhood Mental Health Training Institute.

Liz McGrath graduated from Hampshire College, and UNM School of Law. Ms. McGrath has spent her career working on behalf of individual children and youth, and advocating for legislative and policy changes that benefit children, youth and their care givers. In 2003, Ms. McGrath founded Pegasus Legal Services for Children with co-director Tara Ford. Ms. McGrath has helped to develop Pegasus’ programs to serve grandparents raising grandchildren, young parents, and homeless and runaway youth. Ms. McGrath was also instrumental in the conception, drafting, and passage of the 2001 Kinship Guardianship Act. She has taught at UNM School of Law as an adjunct professor.

Michael Padilla[2] (born June 13, 1972 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate representing District 14 since January 15, 2013.

Padilla grew up in Los Padillas, a rural farming community, that his family helped settle over 150 years ago, and is located inside of the district he represents. He served on numerous boards and commissions prior to becoming a senator, including Youth Development Incorporated, Special Olympics New Mexico, Junior Achievement of New Mexico, Association of Commerce and Industry of New Mexico, New Mexico Workforce Development, and several others.

Padilla founded Altivus CRM Solutions, a contact center and consulting firm, in 2000, and grew the company organically. The company specializes in building call centers and providing a number of operational consulting services affecting people, process, and technology. Padilla still serves as Chairman and CEO of the company.

Padilla’s primary focuses as a legislator are early childhood education and intervention, jobs and economic growth, water management and conservation, and child safety and protective services.